JP7190167B2 - measuring device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a measuring device for simultaneously measuring information about the concentration of a predetermined gas in a plurality of sample measurement chambers, and more particularly to a measuring device for simultaneously measuring activity for which changes in the information can be used as indicators.

Conventionally, various methods are known for measuring the photosynthetic activity of plants. For example, there is known a method of measuring photosynthetic activity by irradiating plants with electromagnetic waves and measuring the phase and amplitude of the electromagnetic waves modulated by the plants (Patent Document 1). In addition, a method of measuring the photosynthetic activity of plants using a chamber is also known, in which _CO2 gas or the like is introduced into the chamber and the plants are irradiated with light, and an oxygen electrode is used to measure the photosynthetic activity in the chamber. It measures the photosynthetic activity of plants by measuring the oxygen concentration.

However, the conventional method can measure only one measurement sample in one measurement, and cannot simultaneously measure the photosynthetic activity of a large number of measurement samples. Therefore, measuring the photosynthetic activity of a plurality of measurement samples using conventional methods requires a great deal of time, effort, and cost. Therefore, it is important to provide a technique that can measure photosynthetic activity more efficiently. This is the same when measuring activities such as respiratory activity other than photosynthetic activity.

JP 2017-153406 A

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. (e.g., gas concentration (e.g., oxygen concentration, carbon dioxide concentration, etc.) or pH). With the goal.

The present invention is a measuring device for simultaneously measuring information about the concentration of a predetermined gas in a plurality of sample measuring chambers, comprising: a measuring block having a plurality of concave portions serving as sample measuring chambers; and a chamber accommodating the measuring block. a main body, a chamber lid that closes an upper opening of the chamber main body, and a plurality that are vertically slidable with respect to the chamber main body and individually seal the plurality of concave portions of the measurement block as they are slid downward. and a gas inlet attached to the chamber body for introducing an arbitrary gas into the space between the measurement block and the inner lid in the chamber body, and from the space It is characterized by comprising a gas outlet for leading out an arbitrary gas, and a measuring device capable of measuring information on the concentration of the predetermined gas in each recess of the measuring block.

It is preferable that the measuring apparatus of the present invention further includes fixing means for detachably fixing the inner lid to the chamber lid. Further, the fixing means includes at least one magnet provided on one of the inner lid and the chamber lid, and at least one metal plate provided on the other of the inner lid and the chamber lid so as to face the magnet. , more preferably.

Further, in the measuring device of the present invention, the inner lid further includes a plurality of seal members individually provided around the plurality of plug members, and the plurality of seal members are arranged so that the plurality of plug members are connected to the measuring device. It is preferable that when the plurality of recesses of the measurement block are individually sealed, the openings of the plurality of recesses are individually sealed by being sandwiched between the inner lid and the measurement block.

Further, in the measuring device of the present invention, the measuring block includes a metal first plate having a plurality of through holes formed thereon, and closing openings on one side of the plurality of through holes of the first plate to close the a second plate fixed to the first plate so as to form a plurality of recesses, the second plate being capable of transmitting light, and the first plate having the plurality of through-holes together. It is preferable that a flow path through which a liquid passes is formed inside so as to surround the liquid flow path, and a water supply port for supplying the liquid to the flow path and a drain port for discharging the liquid from the flow path are provided.

Moreover, in the measuring device of the present invention, it is preferable that a packing is interposed between the first plate and the second plate to seal openings on one side of the plurality of through holes.

Further, in the measuring device of the present invention, the measuring device is a measuring device capable of measuring information about the concentration of a predetermined gas such as gas concentration or pH, and the measuring device includes a plurality of concave portions of the measuring block. It is set individually on the bottom so that the information can be obtained for each measuring block. For example, when measuring oxygen concentration, the measuring device is an oxygen concentration measuring device for measuring oxygen concentration. Although it is not intended to limit the present invention, the oxygen concentration measuring devices are individually set at the bottoms of the plurality of recesses of the measurement block, and are irradiated with excitation light to emit fluorescence with an intensity corresponding to the oxygen concentration. a fluorescent oxygen sensor, a plurality of light-emitting units that individually irradiate the plurality of fluorescent oxygen sensors with excitation light, and a plurality of light-receiving units that individually measure the fluorescence emitted from the plurality of fluorescent oxygen sensors. It is preferable to have Furthermore, it is more preferable that the plurality of recesses of the measurement block contain a sample above the fluorescent oxygen sensor via a light shielding sheet and/or an air-permeable cushioning material.

According to the measuring device of the present invention, it is possible to simultaneously replace the interiors of the plurality of recesses, which serve as the sample measurement chambers of the measurement block, with an arbitrary gas, and further seal the plurality of recesses individually using the plurality of plug members. . Therefore, for example, when measuring the photosynthetic activity of plants, algae, their cells (including cultured cells), etc. as a measurement sample, it is possible to simultaneously replace all the concave portions of the measurement block with a CO ₂ -containing gas. and all recesses can be individually sealed at the same time. Therefore, by measuring information on the concentration of oxygen generated by photosynthesis of the measurement sample in each recess (oxygen concentration in the recess, or pH that changes based on the oxygen concentration dissolved in the solution in the recess), The photosynthetic activity of a plurality of measurement samples can be measured simultaneously. As a result, particularly when a large number of measurement samples are to be measured, the measurement can be performed efficiently, and the measurement time can be greatly shortened.

The information about the predetermined gas is not limited to the gas concentration and pH, and may be any information that changes according to the gas concentration. In addition, other activities that can be measured based on information on oxygen concentration or carbon dioxide concentration, such as respiratory activity of organisms or their cells (including cultured cells), can also be measured using the present invention. In addition, the present invention can be used to measure other activities that can be measured based on information about the concentration of a given gas other than oxygen concentration and carbon dioxide concentration.

It is an exploded perspective view of a measuring device. It is an exploded perspective view of a block for measurement. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the measuring device with the chamber lid and inner lid omitted; (A) It is a perspective view of a chamber lid, (B) It is an exploded perspective view of an inner lid. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a state in which the chamber lid and the inner lid are attached to the chamber main body; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the measuring device taken along line X1-X1 in FIG. 3 with the chamber lid and inner lid attached to the chamber body; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the measuring device after the inner lid is slid downward in a state where the chamber lid and the inner lid are attached to the chamber main body. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the measuring device along line X1-X1 in FIG. 3 in the state of FIG. 7; FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the measuring device with the chamber lid removed from the chamber main body after the state of FIG. 7; 1 is a perspective view of a measuring device in a state for measuring photosynthetic activity; FIG. It is data which shows the measurement result of photosynthetic activity. It is data which shows the measurement result of photosynthetic activity.

The measurement apparatus of the present invention simultaneously measures information about the concentration of a predetermined gas, such as gas concentration and pH, in a plurality of sample measurement chambers over time. can be used as an index to measure the activity at the same time. For example, by simultaneously measuring the oxygen concentration, carbon dioxide concentration, or pH in a plurality of sample measurement chambers over time, it is possible to obtain information on oxygen concentration such as photosynthetic activity and respiratory activity, or information on carbon dioxide concentration for a plurality of measurement samples. The activities to be measured can be measured simultaneously. The activity to be measured by the measuring device of the present invention is not limited to the activity measured based on the information on the oxygen concentration and the information on the carbon dioxide concentration, and information on the concentration of a predetermined gas other than oxygen and carbon dioxide. Other activities measured based on are also included in the measurement object. Also, the information about the predetermined gas is not limited to the gas concentration and pH, and includes other information that changes according to the gas concentration. An example in which the photosynthetic activity of a plurality of plants is measured is described below.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the measuring device 1 of this embodiment, and FIG. 6 shows the internal configuration of the measuring device 1 of this embodiment. The measuring apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a measuring block 2 having a plurality of recesses 10 that serve as sample measuring chambers, a chamber body 3 that accommodates the measuring blocks 2, and a chamber lid 4 that closes an upper opening of the chamber body 3. an inner lid 5 which is slidable up and down with respect to the chamber body 3 and has a plurality of plug members 11 on the lower surface for individually sealing the plurality of recesses 20 of the measurement block 2 as it slides downward; A gas introduction port 6A that is attached to the chamber main body 3 and introduces an arbitrary gas (for example, a CO ₂ -containing gas) into the space S (shown in FIG. 6) between the measurement block 2 and the inner lid 5 in the chamber main body 3. And a gas outlet 6B for leading out an arbitrary gas (for example, a CO ₂ -containing gas) from the space S, and a concentration measuring device ( For example, an oxygen concentration measuring device) 7 is provided.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the measuring block 2 is a plate-like body having a rectangular outer shape and a predetermined thickness. A plurality of recesses 10 having a predetermined depth are formed on the upper surface of the measurement block 2 . The plurality of recesses 10 are regularly arranged at regular intervals in the vertical and horizontal directions. Each concave portion 10 is designed to have a size capable of accommodating therein a measurement sample (for example, a plant leaf) that is a measurement target of photosynthetic activity or the like. Although the number of recesses 10 is not particularly limited, it is 24 in this embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the measurement block 2 includes a first plate 21 formed with a plurality of through holes 20 and a second plate 21 fixed to the first plate 21, as shown in FIGS. It has a structure comprising a plate 22 and a packing 23 interposed between the first plate 21 and the second plate 22 .

The first plate 21 is made of metal in this embodiment, and is preferably made of metal with high thermal conductivity such as aluminum or stainless steel. Note that the first plate 21 does not necessarily have to be made of metal, and may be made of glass or synthetic resin, for example. Inside the first plate 21, a channel 24 through which liquid passes is formed so as to collectively surround the plurality of through holes 20. As shown in FIG. A water supply port 25 for introducing liquid into the channel 24 and a drain port 26 for discharging liquid from the channel 24 are attached to the inlet end and the outlet end of the channel 24 on the end surface of the first plate 21 . ing. Water, for example, is supplied to the channel 24 from a tank, a water tank, or the like (not shown). The temperature of the water supplied to the channel 24 is adjusted to a desired temperature, and the water set to the desired temperature flows through the channel, thereby maintaining the first plate 21 at the desired temperature. As a result, the temperature of the concave portion 10, which serves as the sample measurement chamber, can be adjusted to a temperature suitable for the measurement conditions.

The second plate 22 can transmit light, and is made of, for example, a transparent or translucent material as a whole. The second plate 22 may be made of synthetic resin such as acrylic, or glass. The second plate 22 is fixed to the lower surface of the first plate 21 using screws (not shown) or the like so as to close the openings on one side (lower side in the drawing) of the plurality of through holes 20 of the first plate 21 . ing. A plurality of recesses 10 are formed by covering the openings on one side of the plurality of through holes 20 of the first plate 21 together with the second plate 22 . Thereby, each recess 10 can transmit light from the opening on the first plate 21 side to the bottom on the second plate 22 side.

The packing 23 is designed to be one size smaller than the first plate 21 and the second plate 22 . The packing 23 is formed with a plurality of openings 25 corresponding to the plurality of through holes 20 of the first plate 21 on a one-to-one basis. The packing 23 is arranged in contact with the lower surface of the first plate 21 so that the plurality of openings 27 individually overlap the plurality of through holes 20 of the first plate 21 . Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6 , the openings on one side of the plurality of through holes 20 are collectively sealed by the packing 23 . The packing 23 can be made of a known material that has been conventionally used for packing in order to prevent gas leakage. By fixing the second plate 22 to the lower surface of the first plate 21, the packing 23 is sandwiched between the first plate 21 and the second plate 22, and the second plate 22 is fixed using a screw (not shown) or the like. are fixed to the lower surface of the first plate 21 together with the .

Next, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 5, and 6, the chamber main body 3 includes a bottom portion 30 having a rectangular outer shape, and a pair of front and rear wall portions 31 and a rear wall that stand upright on the periphery of the bottom portion 30. 32 and a pair of left and right side walls 33 and 34, and has a box shape with an open top. In this embodiment, the bottom portion 30 is fixed to the lower surface of a frame formed by front, rear, left, and right walls 31 to 34 using screws (not shown) or the like.

Positioning protrusions 35 are provided on the upper surface of the bottom portion 30 in parallel with the walls 31 to 34 on the front, rear, left, and right sides of the walls 31 to 34 . A measuring block 2 is placed in these four projections 35 .

Of the front, rear, left, and right walls 31 to 34 forming the frame, the front wall 31 has a gas inlet 6A for introducing gas into the chamber main body 3, and the rear wall 32 has a gas introduction port 6A through which gas is introduced from the chamber main body 3. Gas outlets 6B for leading out are attached respectively. The gas introduction port 6A and the gas outlet port 6B may be attached to any one of the front, rear, left, and right wall portions 31 to . A pipe 60 (shown in FIG. 3, etc.) is connected to the gas inlet 6A, and an arbitrary gas such as a CO ₂ -containing gas is supplied from a cylinder (not shown) or the like. A pipe 61 (shown in FIG. 3, etc.) is connected to the gas outlet 6B to discharge the gas in the chamber main body 3 to the outside air, a tank, or the like.

The front wall portion 31 also has a pipe 62 (shown in FIG. 3) connected to the water supply port 25 of the measurement block 2 housed in the chamber body 3, and a pipe 63 (shown in FIG. 3) connected to the water discharge port 26. (shown in FIG. 3, etc.) are formed spaced apart from each other.

Of the front, rear, left, and right walls 31 to 34 that form the frame, the left side wall 33 and the right side wall 34 have guide grooves 37 that are concavely cut downward from the upper end in the center of the length direction. are formed respectively. A pair of left and right first guide portions 51 of the inner lid 5, which will be described later, are inserted into the two guide grooves 37 from above and slide up and down.

Further, the left side wall portion 33 and the right side wall portion 34 are provided with protrusions 38 that protrude outward at positions below the respective guide grooves 37 . Long guide holes 39 are formed in the two protruding portions 38 at the boundary positions between the left side wall portion 33 and the right side wall portion 34, respectively. A pair of left and right second guide portions 52 of the inner lid 5, which will be described later, are inserted into the two guide holes 39 from above and slide up and down.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 1, 4A, 5, 6 and 8, the chamber lid 4 is a plate-like body having a rectangular outer shape and a predetermined thickness. The chamber lid 4 is designed to have approximately the same size as the outer shape formed by the front, rear, left, and right walls 31 to 34 of the chamber body 3 so as to close the upper opening of the chamber body 3 . The chamber lid 4 can be fixed to the chamber body 3 using screws (not shown) or the like when the upper opening of the chamber body 3 is covered. The chamber lid 4 may be made of metal, glass, or synthetic resin, but is preferably made of transparent synthetic resin such as acrylic.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 1, 4B, and 5 to 8, the inner lid 5 includes a body portion 50 having a rectangular outer shape and a pair of first openings projecting from left and right side surfaces of the body portion 50. It has a configuration including a guide portion 50 and a pair of second guide portions 51 provided so as to vertically intersect each of the first guide portions 50 individually.

The body portion 50 presents a plate-like body having a predetermined thickness. The main body part 50 is designed to have a size one size smaller than the chamber lid 4, and is approximately the same size as the upper opening so that it can be inserted into the chamber main body 3 from the upper opening of the chamber main body 3 and slidably moved. designed to size. A plurality of plug members 11 are provided on the lower surface of the body portion 50 to individually seal the plurality of concave portions 10 of the measurement block 2 when the body portion 50 slides downward inside the chamber body 3 .

A plurality of plug members 11 are regularly arranged on the lower surface of the main body 50 at equal intervals in length and breadth so as to correspond to the recesses 10 of the measurement block 2 one-to-one. Each plug member 11 is designed to have a shape and size that closely fits into the concave portion 10 of the measurement block 2, and can be made of a known flexible or elastic material such as rubber or silicon. can.

A plurality of sealing members 12 individually provided around the plurality of plug members 11 are provided on the lower surface of the body portion 50 . As shown in FIG. 8, the plurality of sealing materials 12 are sandwiched between the body portion 50 and the measuring block 2 when the plurality of plug members 11 individually seal the plurality of recesses 10 of the measuring block 2. Thus, the openings of the plurality of recesses 10 are individually sealed. The seal member 12 can be made of a known material that has been conventionally used as a seal member to prevent gas leakage.

The pair of first guide members 51 and the pair of second guide members 52 guide the main body 50 so that it slides straight up and down when the main body 50 slides up and down with respect to the chamber main body 3 . Each of the pair of first guide members 51 and the pair of second guide members 52 has a rectangular outer shape and presents a plate-like body having a predetermined thickness.

The width of the first guide portion 51 is substantially the same as the width of the guide groove 37 of the chamber body 3 . The width of the second guide portion 52 is larger than the width of the first guide portion 51 and substantially the same as the width of the guide hole 39 of the chamber body 3 . The pair of first guide portions 51 slides up and down along the corresponding guide grooves 37, and the pair of second guide portions 52 slides up and down along the corresponding guide holes 39, thereby moving the main body. The portion 50 slides straight up and down with respect to the chamber main body 3 .

A fixing means 8 is provided between the inner lid 5 and the chamber lid 4 for detachably fixing the inner lid 5 to the chamber lid 4 . When the upper opening of the chamber main body 3 is covered with the chamber lid 4, the fixing means 8 temporarily holds the inner lid 5 on the chamber lid 4, so that the inner lid 5 is held in the chamber main body 3 as shown in FIG. A space S is formed between the accommodated measuring block 2 and the inner lid 5 . By removing the inner lid 5 from the chamber lid 4, the inner lid 5 can be slid vertically with respect to the chamber main body 3. By sliding the inner lid 5 downward, as shown in FIG. A plurality of recesses 10 of the measuring block 2 can be individually sealed by a plurality of plug members 11 .

The fixing means 8, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, for example, has at least one magnet 80 provided on one of the inner lid 5 and the chamber lid 4 and faces the magnet 80 on the other of the inner lid 5 and the chamber lid 4. and at least one metal plate 81 provided to do so. In this embodiment, the magnets 80 are fitted into the through holes 53 at the boundary positions between the body portion 50 of the inner lid 5 and the pair of first guide members 51, and the length of the left and right side edges of the chamber lid 4 A metal plate 81 is attached to the central portion of each direction so as to protrude from the lower surface of the chamber lid 4 . Due to the contact between the magnet 80 and the metal plate 81, the inner lid 5 is detachably fixed to the lower surface of the chamber lid 4, as shown in FIG.

Next, the concentration measuring device 7 is not particularly limited as long as it can measure the concentration of a predetermined gas (for example, oxygen) in each recess 10 of the measuring block 2, and may be of various configurations. can be used. In this embodiment, the concentration measuring device 7 is an oxygen concentration measuring device, and as shown in FIGS. It is composed of a plurality of fluorescent oxygen sensors 70 that emit fluorescence with an intensity corresponding to the oxygen concentration when irradiated, and a known microplate reader 71 .

The fluorescent oxygen sensor 70 emits fluorescence with an intensity corresponding to the oxygen concentration in the concave portion 10 of the measurement block 2, which is the sample measurement chamber, when irradiated with excitation light. Specifically, it is formed by fixing an oxygen-sensitive fluorescent substance inside.

The microplate reader 71 includes a plurality of light emitting units (not shown) for individually irradiating excitation light to the respective fluorescent oxygen sensors 70 set in the plurality of recesses 10 of the measurement block 2, and a plurality of fluorescent oxygen sensors 70. It has a structure including a plurality of light receiving portions (not shown) for individually measuring fluorescence emitted from the sensor 70 . The light-emitting part is used to excite the fluorescent substance fixed to the fluorescent oxygen sensor 70 to emit fluorescence, and for example, a mercury lamp, a laser, or an LED can be used. The light-receiving part receives fluorescence of intensity corresponding to the oxygen concentration from the fluorescent oxygen sensor 70 excited by the light from the light-emitting part, and for example, a cooled CCD or the like can be used. A controller (not shown) is connected to the microplate reader 71 . The controller receives the fluorescence image obtained by the microplate reader 71, compares the fluorescence intensity information with the oxygen concentration calibration straight line, calculates and outputs the oxygen concentration profile and oxygen consumption rate. A computer having a CPU, ROM, RAM and I/O can be used as the controller.

In this embodiment, the microplate reader 71 in which the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are provided in the same device is used. device.

The fluorescent oxygen sensor 70 is set at the bottom of each recess 10 of the measurement block 2 , while the microplate reader 71 is set below the bottom 30 of the chamber body 3 . A plate-like sensor fixing member 9 having a predetermined thickness is fixed to the lower surface of the bottom portion 30 of the chamber main body 3 using screws 91 (FIG. 1) or the like. The sensor fixing member 9 may be made of metal, glass, or synthetic resin, but is preferably made of transparent synthetic resin such as acrylic.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 6 and 8, the sensor fixing member 9 has a substantially rectangular outer shape, and an opening 90 for surrounding and positioning the microplate reader 71 is formed in the central portion thereof. By arranging the microplate reader 71 in the opening 90 , it is possible to individually irradiate the plurality of recesses 10 of the measurement block 2 with excitation light. The bottom portion 30 of the chamber main body 3 forms a space for installing the microplate reader 71 therebelow due to the height of the screw 91 .

Next, a procedure of a method for measuring the photosynthetic activity of, for example, a plant using the measuring device 1 configured as described above will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 5, the fluorescent oxygen sensor 70 is set at the bottom of each concave portion 10 of the measuring block 2 while the measuring block 2 is accommodated in the chamber main body 3 .

A part of a leaf is set as a measurement sample 100 in a state where a light shielding sheet 73 and/or an air-permeable cushioning material 72 is placed on the fluorescent oxygen sensor 70 in each concave portion 10 of the measurement block 2 . The light-shielding sheet 73 prevents light from a light irradiator 101 that irradiates light into all recesses 10 from above the measurement block 2 to be described later from entering the microplate reader 71 positioned below the measurement block 2 . It is for For example, black felt or the like can be used as the light shielding sheet 73, but the material is not particularly limited to this, and various materials can be used as long as they have similar functions. The cushioning material 72 is for preventing the measurement sample 100 from directly contacting the fluorescent oxygen sensor 70. For example, plastic wool, mesh, or the like can be used, but it is not particularly limited to this. Instead, various devices can be used as long as they have similar functions.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the upper opening of the chamber body 3 is covered with the chamber lid 4 while the inner lid 5 is fixed to the lower surface of the chamber lid 4 . Thereby, the space S in the chamber main body 3 is closed. In this state, by introducing the CO ₂ -containing gas into the chamber main body 3 through the gas inlet 6A, the inside of all the concave portions 10 of the measurement block 2 is simultaneously replaced with the CO ₂ -containing gas.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the fixing between the inner lid 5 and the chamber lid 4 is removed, and the inner lid 5 is slid downward with respect to the chamber main body 3, thereby measuring with a plurality of plug members 11. The openings of the plurality of recesses 10 of the block 2 are closed. As a result, all the recesses 10 of the measuring block 2 are individually sealed at the same time, and all the recesses 10 are filled with the CO ₂ -containing gas.

Next, the chamber lid 4 is removed from the chamber main body 3, and the inner lid 5 is fixed to the measurement block 2 using screws 13 or the like as shown in FIG. tightly sealed.

Then, as shown in FIG. 10 , while water of a predetermined temperature is flowing through the channel 24 so that the measurement block 2 reaches the optimum temperature for photosynthesis of plants, all of the particles are Light is irradiated into the concave portion 10 .

As a result, the measurement sample 100 in each recess 10 of the measurement block 2 receives light and undergoes photosynthesis, synthesizing carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water in the recess 10 and releasing oxygen into the recess 10 . On the other hand, the fluorescent oxygen sensor 70 in the recess 10 emits fluorescence when irradiated with excitation light from the microplate reader 71 , and this fluorescence is measured by the microplate reader 71 . When oxygen is released from the measurement sample 100 into the concave portion 10 by photosynthesis, fluorescence emitted from the fluorescent oxygen sensor 70 is weakened according to the oxygen concentration in the concave portion 10 . Therefore, by measuring the intensity of fluorescence emitted from the fluorescent oxygen sensor 70 over time using the microplate reader 71, it is possible to measure the oxygen concentration change in the recess 10, and the photosynthetic activity of the measurement sample 100 can be measured. be able to.

As described above, in order to measure the photosynthetic activity of plants, it is necessary to replace the plurality of recesses 10 of the measurement block 2, which serves as a sample measurement chamber, with a CO ₂ -containing gas. 1, the inside of all the recesses 10 of the measuring block 2 can be simultaneously replaced with the CO ₂ -containing gas, and all the recesses 10 can be individually sealed at the same time. Therefore, since the photosynthetic activity of a plurality of measurement samples can be measured simultaneously, efficient measurement can be performed particularly when a large number of measurement samples are used, and the measurement time can be greatly shortened.

Further, a channel 24 through which liquid passes is formed inside the measurement block 2, and by adjusting the temperature of the liquid flowing through the channel 24, the temperature inside each concave portion 10 of the measurement block 2 can be adjusted to a desired temperature. can be maintained. Therefore, by setting the temperature in each recess 10 to a desired temperature according to the activity to be measured, the activity such as the photosynthetic activity can be measured satisfactorily.

In addition, the inner lid 5 is detachably fixed to the chamber lid 4 that closes the upper opening of the chamber main body 3, and the inner lid 5 is positioned above the measurement block 2 shown in FIG. , and the state of being located directly above the measuring block 2 shown in FIG. Therefore, when introducing an arbitrary gas such as a CO ₂ -containing gas into the chamber main body ₃ , it is fixed at the position shown in FIG. After gas replacement, the opening of the concave portion 10 of the measuring block 2 can be easily blocked by the plug member 11 of the inner lid 5 simply by removing the fixation between the inner lid 5 and the chamber lid 4 .

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the fixing means 8 is composed of the magnet 80 and the metal plate 81. For example, various other configurations can be used.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, when measuring the photosynthetic activity, the time-dependent change in the oxygen concentration in each recess 10 of the measurement block 2 is measured, but the time-dependent change in the carbon dioxide concentration may be measured. . Furthermore, although the measurement target is a plant, the measurement target is not limited to plants. It may be an organ (for example, chloroplast or mitochondria). When the photosynthetic activity of algae, cells, etc. is used as a measurement sample, the change in pH over time of the liquid (water, cell preservation solution, cell culture solution, etc.) accommodated in each recess 10 together with the measurement sample is measured using, for example, fluorescence. Photosynthetic activity may be measured using a pH meter such as a pH sensor.

Further, in the above embodiment, the measuring device 1 is used to measure the photosynthetic activity of the measurement sample. The measuring device 1 can also be used to measure the respiratory activity of the body or mitochondria. In this case, an arbitrary oxygen-containing gas is substituted into each recess 10 of the measurement block 2, and is stored in each recess 10 together with the concentration of oxygen consumed by respiration, the concentration of carbon dioxide generated by respiration, or the measurement sample. Respiratory activity can be measured by measuring changes over time such as pH of a liquid (water, cell preservation solution, cell culture solution, etc.) using a measuring instrument. When measuring respiratory activity, the cushioning material 72 and the light shielding sheet 73 are not necessarily required.

In addition to the photosynthetic activity and respiratory activity, the measuring device 1 can also be used to measure other activities that can be measured based on the information on the oxygen concentration or the information on the carbon dioxide concentration. In addition, the measurement device 1 can be used to measure other activities that can be measured based on information about the concentration of a given gas other than oxygen concentration and carbon dioxide. In this case, the inside of each concave portion 10 of the measuring block 2 may be replaced with an arbitrary gas according to the activity to be measured, and information on the concentration of the predetermined gas may be measured using a measuring instrument suitable for the measurement target.

Further, in the above embodiment, the measuring device 7 for measuring the gas concentration such as the oxygen concentration in each concave portion 10 of the measurement block 2 measures an index (for example, fluorescence intensity of a fluorescent gas sensor) depending on the gas concentration. Although the gas concentration is measured by , the gas concentration may be measured directly as long as the gas concentration can be measured. Further, the gas concentration may be measured as an absolute value or as a relative value, and may also be measured as a change over time.

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited to these.

Test example
1. Test Procedure Photosynthetic activity was measured using the measuring device of the embodiment described above. A portion of a leaf (a tomato leaf, a circle with a diameter of 8 mm (prepared by cutting one leaf into a circle with a diameter of 8 mm)) was used as a measurement sample.

More specifically, with the measurement block 2 housed in the chamber main body 3 shown in FIG. (trade name: Oxygen Sensor Spot, manufactured by PreSens) was set. Next, a light-shielding sheet 73 (black felt) is placed on the fluorescent oxygen sensor 70 in the four recesses 10, and then a part of the leaf (leaf disc) as the measurement sample 100 is placed with the back surface of the leaf facing downward. I placed it horizontally so that it would be Next, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, with the inner lid 5 fixed to the lower surface of the chamber lid 4, the chamber lid 4 is placed over the upper opening of the chamber body 3, and the space S in the chamber body 3 is closed. closed.

In this state, a CO ₂ -containing gas (composition: 5% CO ₂ , 5% O ₂ , 90% N ₂ ) is introduced into the chamber main body 3 through the gas inlet 6A, was displaced en masse by a CO ₂ -containing gas. Next, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the fixing between the inner lid 5 and the chamber lid 4 is removed, the inner lid 5 is slid downward with respect to the chamber main body 3, and the plurality of plug members 11 are used for measurement. The openings of the plurality of recesses 10 of the block 2 were closed, all the recesses 10 of the measurement block 2 were sealed simultaneously and individually, and all the recesses 10 were filled with the CO ₂ -containing gas. Next, the chamber lid 4 was removed from the chamber main body 3, and the inner lid 5 was fixed to the measurement block 2 using screws 13 as shown in FIG. In this state, water at 23° C. was passed through the flow path 24 and circulated.

Finally, the measurement apparatus 1 was covered with a blackout curtain, and measurement of the oxygen concentration was started. When the change in the oxygen concentration in the dark place became constant, the LED light provided on the measurement device 1 was turned on to irradiate the measurement sample with light (On in FIG. 11). Two of the four measurement samples were treated with a photosynthesis inhibitor (DUMU (3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea)). The results are shown in FIG.

In addition, the fluorescent oxygen sensor and the measurement sample (leaf disk) were set in the four concave portions 10 in the same manner as described above except that the leaf of the ginkgo biloba was used as the measurement sample and the photosynthesis inhibitor was not applied to all of the measurement sample. Then, measurement of oxygen concentration was started. In this case, the LED light was turned off 5 minutes after turning on the LED light (Off in FIG. 12). The results are shown in FIG.

2. Results In FIG. 11, in the measurement samples (DUMU (1), DUMU (2)) treated with photosynthesis inhibitors, no significant increase in oxygen concentration was observed even under light irradiation. In the measurement samples (Non(1), Non(2)) that were not treated, a significant increase in oxygen concentration was observed under light irradiation. From this, it was found that the photosynthetic activity of a plurality of measurement samples can be measured simultaneously and over time based on the oxygen concentration according to the measuring device.

In addition, in FIG. 12, it was found that the oxygen concentration increased under light irradiation in all measurement samples, and that the increase in oxygen concentration stopped when the light irradiation stopped. From this, it was found that the photosynthetic activity of a plurality of samples to be measured can be simultaneously and chronologically measured based on the oxygen concentration according to the measuring device.

From these results, it was found that the measuring device of the present invention can measure the photosynthetic activity of a plurality of measurement samples simultaneously and over time based on the oxygen concentration. In addition, in this way, according to the measuring device of the present invention, the oxygen concentration can be measured simultaneously and over time for a plurality of measurement samples. As a result, it was found to be useful for measuring activity that can use the change in oxygen concentration as an index. In addition, it was found that the measurement apparatus of the present invention is useful for measuring activity in which changes in not only oxygen but also other gases such as concentration and pH can be used as indicators by using different fluorescence sensors. Since the measuring device of the present invention can measure the activity of a plurality of measurement samples simultaneously and over time, the measurement can be performed efficiently in a short time compared to the conventional method in which only one sample can be measured in one measurement. I found out.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 measurement device 2 measurement block 3 chamber main body 4 chamber lid 5 inner lid 6A gas introduction port 6B gas outlet port 7 concentration measuring device 8 fixing means 10 concave portion 11 plug member 12 sealing member 21 first plate 22 second plate 24 flow path 25 Water supply port 26 Drain port 23 Packing 70 Fluorescent oxygen sensor 71 Microplate reader (light emitting part and light receiving part)
72 cushioning material 73 light shielding sheet 80 magnet 81 metal plate 100 measurement sample 101 light irradiator

Claims (9)

A measuring device for simultaneously measuring information about the concentration of a given gas in a sample measuring chamber, comprising:
a measuring block having a plurality of concave portions serving as sample measuring chambers;
a chamber body that accommodates the measurement block;
a chamber lid that closes the upper opening of the chamber body;
an inner lid that is vertically slidable with respect to the chamber main body and has a plurality of plug members on its lower surface that individually seal the plurality of recesses of the measurement block as it slides downward;
a gas introduction port attached to the chamber main body for introducing an arbitrary gas into a space between the measurement block and the inner lid in the chamber main body and a gas outlet port for discharging an arbitrary gas from the space;
and a measuring device capable of measuring information about the concentration of the predetermined gas in each recess of the measuring block. 2. The measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising fixing means for detachably fixing said inner lid to said chamber lid. The fixing means comprises at least one magnet provided on one of the inner lid and the chamber lid, and at least one metal plate provided on the other of the inner lid and the chamber lid so as to face the magnet. 3. The measuring device according to claim 2, comprising: The inner lid further comprises a plurality of sealing members individually provided around the plurality of plug members,
The plurality of sealing materials are sandwiched between the inner lid and the measuring block to close the openings of the plurality of recesses when the plurality of plug members individually seal the plurality of recesses of the measuring block. Measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is individually sealed. The measuring block is
a metal first plate having a plurality of through holes;
a second plate fixed to the first plate so as to block openings on one side of the plurality of through holes of the first plate and form a plurality of the recesses;
The second plate is capable of transmitting light,
In the first plate, a channel through which liquid passes is formed so as to collectively surround the plurality of through holes, and a water supply port that supplies liquid to the channel and discharges liquid from the channel. 5. The measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is provided with a drain port for draining. The measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a packing for sealing openings on one side of said plurality of through holes is sandwiched between said first plate and said second plate. The measuring instrument is an oxygen concentration measuring instrument for measuring oxygen concentration,
The oxygen concentration measuring device is a plurality of fluorescent oxygen sensors that are individually set at the bottoms of the plurality of recesses of the measurement block and that emit fluorescence with an intensity corresponding to the oxygen concentration when irradiated with excitation light;
A plurality of light emitting units for individually irradiating the plurality of fluorescent oxygen sensors with excitation light; and a plurality of light receiving units for individually measuring the fluorescence emitted from the plurality of fluorescent oxygen sensors. 7. The measuring device according to any one of 6. 8. The measuring device according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of concave portions of said measuring block each contain a sample over said fluorescent oxygen sensor via a light shielding sheet and/or an air-permeable cushioning material. The measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a light irradiator that irradiates light into all the concave portions of the measurement block.

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